


Tired But I Can't Sleep

by Lori Lane (LoriLane)



Series: Science Squad Naps [2]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: AND THEN THEY TOOK A NAP, Fluff, Gen, Michael is a Little Shit, Napping, Platonic Cuddling, science in laws, science squad, secret lab
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:35:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23383864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoriLane/pseuds/Lori%20Lane
Summary: Liz let out a frustrated scream, muffled by a hand clamped over her mouth. She glared at Michael and pointed sternly at the couch, “Go lay down.”Michael threw his hands up and kept pacing, “No. You can’t just use the couch like a time out spot just because you’re mad at me. I’m not a kid.”“A kid has more common sense! You’re a full grown adult acting like a moron. Go. Lay. Down.”He petulantly leaned against the lab table instead. Made sure to really sprawl, just to make it absolutely clear he had no intention of following her orders. Liz narrowed her eyes at the insolence. For someone swearing he’s not a kid, Michael Guerin was doing his best impression of a sullen thirteen year old.
Series: Science Squad Naps [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681948
Comments: 19
Kudos: 39





	Tired But I Can't Sleep

Liz let out a frustrated scream, muffled by a hand clamped over her mouth. She glared at Michael and pointed sternly at the couch, “Go lay down.”

Michael threw his hands up and kept pacing, “No. You can’t just use the couch like a time out spot just because you’re mad at me. I’m not a kid.”

“A kid has more common sense! You’re a full grown adult acting like a moron. Go. Lay. Down.” 

He petulantly leaned against the lab table instead. Made sure to really sprawl, just to make it absolutely clear he had no intention of following her orders. Liz narrowed her eyes at the insolence. For someone swearing he’s not a kid, Michael Guerin was doing his best impression of a sullen thirteen year old. 

Liz wanted to grab his ear and drag him over to the couch, but she isn’t a school marm from the early nineteenth century. She forced herself to take a deep calming breath before walking directly in front of the surly cowboy and taking his face in both hands. “Mikey, we’ve been waiting for the results of that experiment for thirty six hours. We have limited materials and limited time. And you just knocked the whole thing over because you’re so tired you have no hand eye coordination.” 

Michael looked extremely uncomfortable at this physical proximity and also at her calm tone. It’s like he expected her to hit him or something. Like he was goading her into it. Oh. Oh… 

She wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and tugged him into a loose hug. “Michael, I’m not mad. I’m just frustrated. About everything. You need sleep though. We all need sleep. You’re not a kid, and I’m not putting you in freaking time out. You just need a break.”

His body relaxed against hers. He huffed into her hair, “I’m not tired.”

Liar.

“How much did you sleep last night?”

Michael attempted to pull out of her grip, “How much did YOU sleep last night?”

She stubbornly held him tighter. “Fine. We can both go be morons who take a nap. But you need to at least lay down even if you don’t sleep.”

He didn’t look happy about it, but he let her lead him by the hand to the lumpy, ugly couch in the corner of the lab.

“Dibs on big spoon.” Liz announced.

Michael protested, “You can’t be the big spoon! I’ll roll off the couch!”

Liz repeated, “Dibs.” 

She laid down and opened her arms expectantly. He wouldn’t roll off the couch. She’d been watching him pass out on this couch for weeks. Michael Guerin had an uncanny ability to fall asleep in one position and then not move. She didn’t know if that was because his airstream mattress was small, or if it was a side effect of his childhood. Of being expected to be small and quiet. Although no one could ever accuse Michael of being small and quiet. 

With a grumble, he eased himself onto the couch and folded his body under her arm. She tugged tight, pulling him flush and immediately stuck her cold nose on his neck. 

They had two hours before Kyle promised to show up and triple check results. Not that there were any results to show him. Liz should probably text him not to bother. 

After a few minutes of silence, Michael spoke. “I have dreams about my mom.”

Liz waited. Sometimes things were easier to confess when you weren’t face to face. 

“Alex shared some stuff about her… I can’t get it out of my head. It’s stupid and I need to focus on Max. On the tech. I can fix this. I can make the tech work. But, it’s like every time I close my eyes I see this picture of her.” She could feel his heart pounding beneath her hand. “She’s naked and trying to cover herself up and someone obviously kicked the crap out of her, and that’s what I see every time. So I’ve just been staying here to work on what I CAN fix, or spending time at the Wild Pony.”

Liz added, “Drinking at the Wild Pony.”

Michael confirmed, “Drinking at the Wild Pony.”

He added, “It makes my brain a little quieter. Sometimes I can sleep a little bit longer if I have some whiskey or acetone to help it along.”

She pulled him backwards so he lay on his back, and then covered half his body with her own. She hoped her weight grounded him. “Do you sleep here?”

“What?”

“Our impromptu nap last week. Did you sleep?”

He begrudgingly admitted, “I slept.”

“Okay, so the hypothesis is having another person nearby helps.”

Michael grunted, “I’m not a science experiment Liz.”

“Never said you were. Just saying, we should test out a theory. Close your eyes and shut up.”

With her arm securely around him she could feel him try to muffle his laugh. “Very soothing, Ortecho.”

In retaliation she pinched him hard and he yelped before following orders and shutting up. She felt his breath even out beneath her, and she closed her eyes. He was right, they were both morons who didn’t sleep enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I can be found on Tumblr[ @angsty-aliens](https://angsty-aliens.tumblr.com)


End file.
